Indy 500 qualifying a whole new ballgame

Hello Castroneves comes around the third turn during a qualifying session on Friday. Castroneves ran a lap of 229.843 miles per hour.
(Photo:
Greg Griffo/Indianapolis Star
)

Don’t ask the best IndyCar qualifier of this era to explain the Indianapolis 500’s new qualifying format — because Helio Castroneves can’t, and he’s not alone.

Questions and misconceptions abound in Gasoline Alley, where 33 car-and-driver combinations await the reworked two-day session. There are so many nuances to the format that Castroneves and many of the other drivers have decided to focus only on their road ahead.

“I’m leaving everything else to (the team),” said Castroneves, who has four 500 poles, two shy of Rick Mears’ record.

No matter how qualifying is laid out, the changes made to increase drama are complicated and at times confusing. But they start from this premise: Pole day is not Saturday, and bump day isn’t Sunday. It’s the other way around.

All entries are assured at least once chance Saturday to earn a spot in the 98th field. A two-page information sheet released Friday by IndyCar explains the rest:

• Saturday’s qualifying sets the race’s provisional field, with teams able to make multiple attempts;

• At 5:50 p.m., the top 30 will be locked in, but everyone must make another four-lap run on Sunday to establish starting positions. The fastest nine will advance to Sunday’s pole-determining session (2 p.m.).

Pit road will have two qualifying lines, the first a priority line for cars that have not qualified or have withdrawn their previous qualifying times.

The second line will be for cars that have already qualified but want another attempt. Withdrawing the time is not necessary.

The incentive to perform well Saturday is a bushel of points, nearly the equivalent of a regular race event. The fastest driver of the day will receive 33 points while punching a ticket to the Fast Nine Shootout.

Sunday has another set of procedures.

• All Saturday times will be erased;

• Cars 10th or lower on Saturday will compete at 10:15 a.m. The order they’ll go will be based on Saturday rankings, and each will get one attempt;

• The final qualifying group will be the Fast Nine Shootout, and those nine cars will qualify in reverse order based on Saturday speed. Each car will make one attempt, and the fastest in the group will get nine points to go with the pole designation and the $100,000 check.

With double points awarded at 500-mile races this season, one driver could score 146 points. Currently, Will Power leads the season standings with 149.

Sizing up the field is just as difficult, as rain has allowed for only minimal practicing the past three days.

Friday’s session lasted all of 21 minutes and only 21 drivers managed what should be considered a hot lap. In other words, cards hadn’t been shown.

“Honestly, I don’t think anyone knows where anyone’s at because no one’s done qualifying simulations,” Power said. “It’s the first time I’ve been here that you’ve got absolutely no feel where you are — manufacturer-wise, team-wise — you’ve got no clue.”

Friday’s practice was to show off the extra power delivered by Chevrolet and Honda. Before the rain, seven drivers exceeded 229 mph; Ed Carpenter reached 230.522.

Carpenter won last year’s pole, but it could be anyone among the top 10 or 12, including any of the Penske, Andretti or Ganassi cars.

“I think it’s going to be extremely unpredictable, and you might see some things that are completely different than in years past,” said Tony Kanaan, the 2005 pole winner.

The cooler temperatures that are expected will create more aerodynamic downforce, which will make the cars easier to drive and keep the field close together.

“This is the first year I’ve been here where I have no idea if I’m going to be on the pole or 15th,” Marco Andretti said. “I guess that makes it fun.”

“Just put your head down and go as fast as you can,” Castroneves said.

INDY 500 QUALIFYING

Saturday’s schedule

7 a.m.: Gates open

8 a.m.: Practice, Group 1

8:30 a.m.: Practice, Group 2

9 a.m.: Practice, all cars

11 a.m.-5 p.m.: Qualifying for positions 1-33.

Admission: $20

Pit Pass Live presented by Kroger: 9:30 a.m. with Curt Cavin and IndyCar CEO Mark Miles